The Music Of BioShock 2

The GameAgent Blog recently posted a new article about the music of Bioshock 2. Brought to the Mac by Feral Interactive, the genetically enhanced role-playing shooter returns players to the underwater city of Rapture, this time as a Big Daddy.

One of the greatest things about music is its ability to take on new contexts depending on what visuals accompany it. Just closing your eyes and listening to music can give you a direct impression of the music, along the lines of what the original artist intended. Use that same music as the soundtrack to a game and it will take on a completely new light and angle, expressing emotions and subtleties not apparent previously.

No game soundtrack exemplifies this better than the soundtrack to BioShock 2. All of the songs are from a long bygone era, ranging from the 1920s to the 1950s. In their original context they sound innocent and syrupy-sweet. However, anyone who’s played BioShock 2 can attest to how creepy and chilling songs like “My Heart Belongs to Daddy” and “(How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window” can sound in a rotting city under the sea strewn with corpses. Take a listen right here: